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2 

MEDICAL  EDUCATION  IN 
EARLY  NEW  YORK 


SAMUEL  BARD 


i>RARy 

UNlVERSiTY  OF 
CALIFORNIA 
SAN  OJEeo 


rBMT 


BIOMEDICAL  LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  SAN  llEGQ 
DATE  DUE 

■       AUG  3 

0  REq-Q 

CAYLCRD 

PRINTED  IN  U.S.  A 

Medical  Education  in  Early 
New  York 


SAMUEL  BARD,  M.D.,  LL.D. 


From  "A  Domestic  Narrative  of  the  Life  of  Samuel  Bard,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  late 
President  of  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  the  University  of  the  State 
of  New  York,  &c."  By  Rev.  John  M'Vickar,  A.M.,  Professor  of  Moral  Philosophy 
and  Rhetoric,  Columbia  College,  New  York.  New  York:  Published  at  the  Lite- 
rary Rooms,  corner  of  Broadway  and  Pine-Street.  A  Paul,  Printer.  1822. 
King's  College  in  the  background. 


Two  Discourses 

Dealing  with 

Medical  Education  in  Early  New  York 

By 

Samuel  Bard,  M.D. 

Professor  of  the  Practice  of  Medicine  in  King's  College 

Later  President  of  the  College  of  Physicians 

and  Surgeons 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 
1921 


» 


INTRODUCTION 

At  a  time  when  Columbia  University  is  undertaking  a 
long  step  forward  in  the  better  organization  of  medical 
education  and  research,  and  when  the  Society  of  the 
New  York  Hospital  is  celebrating  the  one  hundred  and 
fiftieth  anniversary  of  its  organization,  it  is  appropriate 
that  there  should  be  reprinted  for  the  information  of  this 
generation  the  prophetic  "Discourse  upon  the  Duties  of 
a  Physician;  with  some  Sentiments  upon  the  Usefulness 
and  the  Necessity  of  a  Public  Hospital,"  delivered  before 
the  President  and  Governors  of  King's  College  at  the 
commencement  held  on  May  i6,  1769,  by  Dr.  Samuel 
Bard,  Professor  of  the  Practice  of  Medicine  in  King's 
College,  and  also  the  discourse  on  medical  education 
delivered  at  the  medical  commencement  of  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  on  April  6,  18 19  when  Dr. 
Bard  was  President  of  that  College. 

The  story  of  Dr.  Samuel  Bard's  life  is  told  in  an 
address  by  Dr.  Henry  William  Ducachet  delivered 
before  the  New  York  Historical  Society,  August  14,  1821, 
and  reprinted  at  Philadelphia  in  October,  1821  from  the 
fourth  volume  of  the  American  Medical  Recorder. 
Of  Huguenot  descent.  Dr.  Bard  was  born  in  Philadel- 
phia on  April  i,  1742  and  in  due  time  became  the  chief 
practitioner  of  medicine  in  the  City  and  Province  of 
New  York. 

The  first  of  the  two  discourses  now  reprinted,  was 
delivered  in  1769  "as  advice  to  those  gentlemen  who  then 
received  the  first  medical  degrees"  conferred  by  what  is 
now  Columbia  University.  These  two  addresses,  and 
particularly  the  first  address,  speak  for  themselves. 
They  establish  Dr.  Bard's  leadership  in  medical  education 
in  America  and  justify  his  reputation  as  prophet  and  seer. 


Dr.  Bard  lived  to  be  seventy-nine  years  of  age  and 
died  on  May  25,  182 1.  Of  the  early  years  of  King's 
College  and  Columbia  College  Dr.  Bard  was  a  chief 
ornament.  He  served  not  only  as  Professor  of  the 
Theory  and  Practice  of  Medicine,  but  later  as  Professor 
of  Chemistry  as  well  as  of  Natural  Philosophy  and 
Astronomy.  From  1787  to  1804  he  was  a  Trustee  of  the 
College. 

Nicholas  Murray  Butler 

March  i,  1921 


I 

A  DISCOURSE  UPON  THE  DUTIES 
OF  A  PHYSICIAN 

Delivered  before  the  President  and  Gover- 
nors of  King's  College  at  the  Commence- 
ment held  on  the  i6th  day  of  May,  1769. 

II 

A  DISCOURSE  ON  MEDICAL  EDUCATION 

Delivered  at  the  Medical  Commencement 

of  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 

on  the  6th  of  April,  1819. 


A 

DISCOURSE 

UPON    THE 

DUTIES  OF  A  PHYSICIAN, 

With  sq  m  e  Sentiments, 
O  N     T  H  E 
USEFULNESS  and  NECESSITV 
O  F     A 

PUBLIC     HOSPITAL: 

DELIVERED    BEFORE    IHE 

PRESIDENT  AMD  GOVERNORS 

0   F 

K  I  N  G's    C  O  L  L  E  G  £, 

AT    THE     COMMEP^CEMENT, 
Held  on  the  i6th  of  M  a  y,  i  769. 

As   Advice   to  thofe  Gentlemen  who  then 

received  the  Flrft  Medical  Decrees 

conferred  by  that  U  N  1 V  E  R  S I T  Y. 

By   S   A  M  U   E  L     B  A  R  D,    M.  D. 

I'rofcffjr  of  ihs  Pradice  of  Mediiiine  in  K  1  n  o's   C  o  l  l  e  c  e, 

N    E   W-r  O    R    K: 

Pi-ljuetl  by  A.  &;  J.  R  O  B  E  R  T  S  O  N,  at  the  Comer  &f 

B  K  A  V  E  K  -  S  T  R  F  E  t,   M,DCC,LXIX. 


To  IBs  ExCEtlEMCT 

Sir  H  E  N  R  Y  MOORE,  Bart 

Captain  General,  and  GoveiTior  in  Chief,  in  and  over 
the  Province  of  N  E  w-Y  o  r  K,  and  the  Territories  de- 
pending thereon,  in  A  M  E  R  IC  Ay  Chancellor,  and 
Vice-i^dmiral  of  the  fiune. 

Si^, 

TH  E  favourable  Sentiments  you 
were  pleafcd  toexprcfs  of  the  fol- 
lowing Difcourfe,  when  it  was  de- 
livered, and  the  very  generous  Warmth 
with  which  your  Excellency  entered 
into  the  Propofal  it  contains,  of  fcmnd- 
ing  a  Public  Infirmary  in  this  City, 
have  emboldened  th^  Author  to  fubmit; 
it  to  the  Cdnfideration  of  the  Public ; 
and  to  infurc  it  a  favourable  Recep- 
tion, he  h^s  ventured  to  prefix  to  it 
your  Excellency's  f^ame ;  not  doubt* 
ing  but  that  the  fame  Benevolence 
which  prompted  you  fo  generoufly  to 
undertake  the  Caufe  of  the  Poor  and^ 

Un- 


it       P  E  D  I  C  A  T  I  O  N. 

Unhappy,  will  now  plead  his  Exetife, 
for  the  Liberty  he  has  taken  of  pro- 
pofing  your  Excellency's  humane  and 
benevolent  Example,  to  the  Imitation 
of  his  Fellow  Citizens  and  Country 
Men, 

May  your  Excellency,  and  every 
generous  Contributor  to  this  Tnftitu- 
tion,  enjoy  the  Happinefs  of  feeing 
the  good  Effex^s  of  your  charitable 
Endeavours  j  and  as  the  juft  Reward 
of  your  Humanity,  may  "  th&  Blejftng 
of  him  that  is  ready  to  ferijh  come  up-^ 
myouT 

\^  which  Hope, 

I  have  the  Honor  to  be. 

With  the  greatcfl  Refpcd. 
Your  Excellency's 
Moft  obedient 

Hunable  Servant, 

SAMUEL  BARD. 


THE 

PREFACE. 

TH  E  Scheme  of  a  Public  Hofpltal  for 
the  Reception  of  the  poor  Sick  of  this 
Goyernment  and  City,  is  a  Subjed^, 
which  for  a  long  Time  paft,  ha«  employed  the 
Attention  of  many  charitable  and  benevolent 
Inhabitants  ;  particularly  of  thofc  Gentlemcti 
engaged  in  tlie  pradlce  of  Phyfic,  and  Offices 
of  Religion,  whofe  Profeffions  afford  them  the 
njoft  frequent  Opportuniues  of  knowing  tho 
great  NeceiTity  there  is  fojr  fu^Ji  m  JnAitution, 

In  particular,  a  Plan  has  often  been  propofed, 

and  the  moft  proper  Method  for  putting  it  ill 

Execution  coniid^red,  tiy  a  Set   of  Medical 

Gentlemen,  who  have  formed  them fclvcs  into 

a  Society  for  promoting  the  Knowledge,  and 

extending  the  Ufcfulnefs  of  their  ProfcHion  : 

and  it  has  been  a  Refolutioa  entered  upon  the 

Minutes  of  that  Society,  from  its  firft  laditny 

lion,  that,  they  (ho aid  Addfeii  the  Lcgiflaturc 

upon  that  Subjed,  on  the  firft  favourable  Op* 

ttortunity. 

It 


it  PREFACE, 

It  likcwifc  has  i^ieatcdly  been  mentioned  hj 
the  different  Profcflbrs  of  Medicine,  (particu- 
larly Do<5tor$  Middlctort,  and  Jones,)  in  their 
public  Le<5lures,  and  earneftly  recommended 
to  the  Confidcration  of  the  Inhabitanis ;  the 
unhappy  Difputes  however,  in  which  we  have 
lately  been  engaged  with  our  Mother  Coun- 
try, liave  hitherto  rendered  their  Endeavours 
fruitleis;  but,  they  neverthclefs  (convinced  of 
the  great  Neceffity  there  was  for  fuch  an  In- 
ftitution,  and  the  very  greatAdvantages  which 
all  Orders  of  People  muft  derive  from  it)  re-i 
{blved  to  perfift  in  their  Endeavours,  until  fome 
happy  Occafion  fhould  offer  of  pushing  it  with 
fome  Probability  of  Succefs.  Such  an  Occa* 
fion  now  prefcnts  itfelf,  and  the  Warmth  and 
Zeal,  which  his  Excellency  th«  Governor,  and 
moft  of  his  honorable  Council,  have  exprcfied 
for  it,  and  the  Liberality,  with  which  they 
have  fubicribcd  towards  it,  induce  them  to 
think  the  prefent,  the  fitted  Time,  for  recom- 
mending it,  to  the  ferious  Confideration  of  the 
Public. 

/\nd 


PREFACE.  iii 

And  as  an  Inftitution  of  this  Nature,  muft 
tiectffarily  be  calculated  for  the  Benefit  of  the 
diftrcffcd  of  all  Se(fts  and  Perfuafions  whatlb- 
;ver,  it  is  hoped,  that  the  generous  and  pub- 
lic fpirited  of  every  Denomination,  will  entef 
warmly  into  the  Dclign,  and  promote  it  with 
that  Zeal,  which  fhould  adtuate  the  Breaft  of 
every  Man,  who  thinks  it  his  Duty  to  relieve 
the  Neceflities  of  his  Fellow  Creatures,  or  pro- 
mote the  Happinefs  of  Society 


A  DIS- 


DISCOURSE 

U  P  O  N    T  H  E 

DUTIES  OF  A  PHYSICIAN 


Homines  ad  Deos^  nulla  re  proprtus  accedunt^  qtlam 
Saiutem  Hoiihiibus  dand'o,  C  i  c  s  r  o. 

Thert  is  noth'mg  ij  >which  a  Men  approaches  ntarer  to  the  Pir* 
ftdions  of  the  Deifjr,  that:  Iry  rejitrifig  the  SUkj  to  tie  Etf 

jiytnen*  of  the  Bleffiiigs  of  Health. 

THAT  this  Country  Iias,  evdr  iincc  its 
Difcovery  and  Settlement,  laboured 
unaer  the  greatcft  Difadvantagci,  from  the 
impeffcdt  Manner,  in  which  Students  have 
been  inftrudted  in  the  Principles  of  Meditinci 
nod  from  the  Confequcnt  prevailing  Ignorance 
of  but  too  many  of  its  ProfciTors;  is  a  Truth 
which  cannot  be  cuntcftedj  and  of  which  many 
unh^appy  Families  have  levciely  felt  the  fata! 

B  Th« 


(^ ) 

The  prelent  Occafion  therefore  mud  give 
the  moft  real  Pleafurc  to  every  confiderate  Man, 
or  Lover  of  his  Country ;  and  furely  there  is  no 
Friend  of  Learning,  but  muft  rejoice  to  fee  thefe 
Gentlemen,  who  have  given  the  mofl  puhlic 
and  ampid  TeRimony  of  their  Abilities,  now 
fbliciting  the  Honors  of  this  Univcrfity,  in  a 
Pi-ofcflion  hitherto  (at  leafl  in  a  regular  Man* 
ner)  uncultivated  amongfl  us. 

lam  therefore  particularly  happy  in  having 
this  Opportunity  of  congratulating  every  public 
Spirited  Friend  and  Patron  of  this  College,  and 
efpecially  thbfe  of  the  medical  Inftitution,  up- 
on the  prcfent  Inftance  of  its  Succefs,  which 
affords  fo  pleafing  a  Profpedl  of  its  rifing -Re- 
putation and  future  Utility. 

But  it  is  to  you.  Gentlemen,  who  are  Can- 
didates for  medical  Degrees,  that  1  mean  in 
a  more  particular  Manner  to  addrefs  my  pre- 
fcnt  Difcourfe  j  receive  then  my  Thanks  for  the 
Honors  you  have  already  rcfle<5ted  upon  us, 
and  as  both  for  your  Sakes  and  our  own,  I 
cannot  but  be  anxious  for  your  future  Repu- 
tation > 


(    3    ) 

tfttion  ;  let  me  once  more,  before  we  part,  rcr 

queil  your  Attentiop  for  a  few  Moments, 
YfhM    I    endeavour  to   explain   to   you   the 

weighty  duties  of  your  Profeffion A  Pro- 

feffion,  in  the  Praai<:e  of  which,  Integrity  and 
Abilities,  will  place  you  among  the  moft  ufc- 
ful ;  and  Ignorance  and  Diflionefty,  among  the 
moff  pernicious  Members  of  Society. 

And  be  not  alarmed,  if  I  fet  out  with  tell- 
ing you,  that  your  Labours  mufl  have  no  End. 
No  lefs  than  Life,  and  its  greateft  Blefling 
Health,  are  to  be  the  Objedj  of  your  At- 
tention ;  and  would  you  acquit  yourfelvcs  to 
your.  !©wn  Conftiences,  you  muft  fpend  yoitr 
Days  in  ^4iiou8  Enquiries,  after  the  Means 
of  rendering  ihofe  of  others  long  and  happy. 

Do  not  therefore  imagine,  that  from  thi« 
Time  your  Studies  are  to  ceafe  ;  To  far  from  it» 
you  are  to  be  confidered  as  but  juft  entering 
upon  them ;  and  unlefs  your  whole  Lives,  arc 
one  continued  Series  of  Application  and  Im- 
provement, you  will  fall  fhort  of  your  Duty. 
For,  if  in  the  Eye  of  the  Law,  the  Man  who 
docs  not  afford,  to  all  immediately  under  his 

Care 


Care  and  Pr  >tection,  as  far  as  In  him  lies,  the 
nrcefiHiry  Means  of  preferving  Life,  is  corifi- 
d;r:;d  as  acceffary  to  Murder,  hovr    will  that 
Phyiician   excuf<;  himfelf  to  his  own  Confci- 
ence,    or  what  Palliation  of  his  Guilt,  will  ho 
plead  at  the  awful  Btr  of  eternal  Jufllcc,    wh0 
inftcad  of  embracing  and  induilrioufly  culliya- 
ting  every  OpportuTiity  of  Improvement,  ihall 
(confcioas  of  his  own  Inability)  raflily  tamper 
with  the  Lives  of  hi^  Fellow  Creatures;  and, 
at  the   rifk  of  their  Safety,  defraud    them  of 
their  Property?  Would  not   any  one  confider 
the  Lawyer  an  Impofter,   not  to  ufe  a  haifhcr 
Phrafe,  who,  confcious  of  his  own  Ignorance, 
ihould  give  Advice,  which  might  endanger  the 
Eftatc  of  another?  And  is  noi  the   Phyficiari 
whp  impafes  Ignorance  upon   cie  for   Know- 
ledge, and  puts  my  Life  to  the  hazard  of  an 
uncertain   die;  fo  much  the  greater  I rrjpoflor, 
in  as  much  as  my  Life,   is  of  greater  Eftirlia- 
tlon    than   my  Eftate.     In  a  ProfefTion    thcrt, 
like  that   you  have  embraced,  where  the  Ob* 
jed  is  of  fo  great  Importance  as  the  Life  of  t 
Man  ;  you  are  accountalTe  even  for  the  Eriiors 
of  Ignorance,  unlefs  you  have  embraced  every 

Opportuuiry  of  obtaining  Knowledge. 

And 


(5) 

^nd  to  a  Man,  who  ha«  ahy  ConCJcntc  at 
.«11»  it  will  be  but  a  flight  Alleviation  of  his 
Remorff,  to  fay,  after  fomc  fatal  Bi under,  / 
knfw  no  better\  Unlels  he  can  likewifc  add, 
*Hat  it  is  to  be  attributed  to  thfc  Frailty  of  hit 
Mature,  and  not  to  the  Negligence  of  his  Difr 
pofition,  that  he  was  not  better  informed.  Nor 
will  a  weeping  Parent  receive  much  Confola- 
tion  from  this  Refledion,  th^i  by  the  fatal  Ig- 
ijorance  of  his  Phyfician,  and  not  by  the  rAa- 
lignancy  of  the  Difeafe,  he  has  been  robbed 
of  the  Staff  and  Support  of  his  Life,  the  Joy 
and  Comfort  of  his  declining  Age. 

PidI  know  a  Wretch  among  the  Praditi- 
oners  of  Medicine,  whofe  infcnfible  Soul  nei- 
ther feels  for  the  Didrefl'es  he  may  Occairon, 
cor  partakes  in  tlie  Joys  he  may  give  rife  to; 
J  fay,  did  I  know  a  Man  f )  void  of  every  Sfen*- 
f iment  of  Tepdernefs,  and  Humanity ;  I  would 
advifc  him,  from  Moiives  of  Intereft  and  Gain, 
to  endeavour  at  the  Attainment  of  Skill  m  his 
Profeliion.  But  to  you,  Gex^lemen,  I  will 
point  out  the  Gratificatiun  infeparable  from  the 
Acquifition  of  Knowledge,    that  ever    to   b« 

wiihcd 


(6) 
wiAed  for  Prjtife,  which  falls  froqi  the  Lipp  of 

the  Wife  and  the  Virtuous,  the  Applaufe  df  an 

jtpproviAg  Confcience»    and  the  uofpeakabb 

^mCan  of  doing  good»  a&  the  Reward  of  41 

your  Toil,  and  a»  the  (Irongeft  Spur  to  yoijir 

ibcurc  Indudry* 

As  to  thofe  who  have  neither  Emulation 
nor  Honefty,  who  iKither  have  Abilities,  nor 
will  give  themfelvcs  the  Trouble  of  acquiring 
them  ;  I  would  recommend  it  to  fuch,  feriouily 
to.  confidcr  the  Sixth  Commandment, 

*Thou  Shalt  do  no  Murder/ 

In  the  Profecution  of  your  Studies,  let  fuch 
Authors  as  have  tranfmitted  to  us  Obfervations 
fijundcd  upooNature,  cjaim  your  particular  At- 
tention.  Ofthefe,  Hippocrates  fhines  the 
locemofli  his  unwearied  Diligence  in  qbferviqg 
And  collec^ng  the  Symptoms  of  Difeaies,  his 
Fidelity  and  Accuracy  in  relating  them,  his 
happy  FaciHty  in  difcovering  their  Caufes,  his 
almofl:  prophetic  Knowledge  of  their  Events, 
and  his  fuccefsful  Treatment  of  them,  can  ne- 
Fcr  be  fufficiently  admired,  and  will  hand  down 
hk  Name,  with  Honor  and  Applaofe  to  the 
Utca  Poilcrity.  A  few 


(7) 

A  few  others  among  the  Ancicfiti^  who 
have  followed  the  Steps  of  Hippocrates^  aro 
well  worth  your  Pcrufal;  but  whilft  you  •€«• 
knowledge  their  Merit,  do  not  affeft  the  Pc* 
dantry  of  defpifing  the  Moderns^  and  carefully 
avoid  that  Rock,  upon  which  moft  of  the  fond 
Admired  of  Antiquity  have  fplit,  a  blind  and 
ila\rifh  Attachment  to  its  Opinions;  the  Bar 
where  Truth  has  been  fo  often  Shipwrecked* 
and  which  more  than  the  want  of  Ingenuity 
or  Capacity,-  flopped  the  Progrefs  of  Learning 
for  above  twelve  hundred  Years. 

Why  ihould  We  give  more  to  thofe  TimeSj 
than  they  attributed  to  themfelves  ?  Read  the 
Writings  of  the  wifeft  among  the  Ancients» 
«nd  they  are  filled  with  Modcfty  and  Dil&- 
dence,  vvhy  then  (hould  we  afcribe  to  «"hcmt 
Infallibility  and  Omnifcience  ?  They  doubted 
the  Aflertions,  and  controverted  the  Opinions 
of  the  Times  which  preceded  them;  why 
(hould  not  we  doubt  and  controvert  theirs ;  and 
leave  to  Pofterity  the  Liberty  of  controverting 
ours  ?  Let  us  then  examine  their  Writings  witli 
Candour,  but  with  Freedom,  and  embrace  or 

rejed^ 


(8) 

ftie<£l  tfieir  Opinions ;  as  they  (hall  be  fbond 
conliftcnt,  car  inconfiftcnt  with  later  Expc* 
fiencc* 

Without  tb(:a-efbrc  depreciating  the  Merit 
of  the  Ancierit$>  let  us  do  Juftipe  to  thdf  Pof- 
tcfity,  and  do  not  from  an  Over  IZeal  fpr  Anti- 
quity, facfificc  Sydenham  and  Bocrhaave,  to 
tHe  Manes  of  Hippocrates  and  Galen. — I  fee 
no  Reafoa  why  Tim«  only  (hould  Ic0en  our 
Abilities,  and  furely  Experience  muft  increafe 
©ur  Knowledge :  and  although  I  think  hmc 
of  the  Ancients  may  be  read  with  great  Ad- 
vantage; yet  it  is  the  moft  celebrated  Moderns 
|who  with  equal  Abilities  enjoy  the  additional 
Advantage  of  near  2000  Years  of  Experience) 
whom  I  would  recommend  to  your  moft  at- 
tentive* Pcrufal ;  particularly  thole  great  Orna- 
ments of  their  ProfefTjop,  Sydenham,  Eoer- 

HAAVE,  HUXHAM,  PRINGLE,  and  WhYTTj 

and  fotne  others  of  our  latcft  Englifh  and 
Scotch  Phyficians,  "  Horum  Scrtpta  no^urnM 
verfaie  manuy  verjdie  dturna,** 

In  your  Intcrcourfc  with  your  Fellow  Prac* 
titioners,  let  Intw-grity,  Candour-,  w^d  Delicacy 

be 


(9  ) 
be  youf  Guides.     There  is  a  particular  Senfi-?. 

bility  of  Difpofition,  which  feems  cffential  to 

delicate   Honof,  and  which  I  bejieve  is  the 

,beil   Counterpoife   to   Sdf-Intereft.     This   I 

would  by  all  Means  advife  you  to  cultivate, 

as  you  will  meet  with  many  Occafioiis  where 

it  only  can  difedl  your  Conduct. 

Never  afFcd:  to  defpife  a  Man  for  the  want 
of  a  regular  Education,  and  treat  even  harm- 
lefs  Ignorance,  with  Delicacy  and  Compafllon, 
but  when  you  meet  with  it  joined  with  fool- 
hardinefs  and  Prefumption,  you  muft  give  it 
no  quarter. 

On  no  Pretence  whatever,  pradice  thoft 
little  Arts  of  Gunning  and  Diflimulation, 
which  to  the  Scandal  of  the  Profeffion,  have 
been  but  too  frequent  amongft  us.  Nor  ever 
attempt  to  raife  your  Fame  on  the  Ruins  of 
another's  Reputation ;  and  remember  that  you 
ought  not  only  to  be  cautious  of  your  Words^ 
a  Shrug  or  a  Whifpcr,  the  ftare  of  Surprife,  or 
a  piteous  Exclamation  of  Sorrow,  more  effec- 
tually wound  another's  Reputation,  and  more 
clearly  betray  the  Bafenefs  of  a  Man'«   own 

Heart,  than  the  loudeft  Exprelllons. 

C  D(? 


( 1° ) 

Do  not  pretend  to  Secrets,  Panacea's,  and 
Noftrums,  they  are  illiberal,  diflioneft,  and  in- 
confiflent  with  your  Chara(fler?,  as  Gentkmen 
and  Phyiicians,  and  with  your  Duty  a«  Men — 
For  if  you  are  polfeffed  of  any  valuable  Re- 
medy, it  is  undoubtedly  your  Duty  to  divulge 
it,  that  as  maay  as  poffible  may  reap  the  Be- 
nefit of  iti  and  if  not,  (which  is  generally  the 
Cafe)  you  are  propagating  a  Falfchood,  and 
jmpofing  upon  Mankind. 

In  your  Behaviour  to  the  Sick,  remember 
always  that  your  Patient  is  the  Obje<fb  of  the 
tendcreft  AfFedtion,  to  feme  one,  or  perhaps 
to  many  about  him;  it  is  therefore  your  Duty, 
not  only  to  cndeavout*  to  preferve  his  Life,  but 
to  avoid  wounding  the  Senfibility  of  a  tender 
Parent,  a  diftrcflcd  Wife,  or  an  affedtionatc 
Child.  Let  your  Carriage  be  humane  and  at- 
tentive, be  intercftcd  in  his  Welfare,  and  fhew 
your  Apprehcnfion  of  his  Danger,  rather  by 
your  Afiiduity  to  rclievCy  than  by  any  harfh  or 
brutal  Expre/Tions  of  it.  On  the  other  hand, 
never  buoy  up  a  dying  Man  \tith  groundlefs 
Expedlations  of  Recovery,  this  is  at  heft  a  good 
natured  and  humane  Deception,  but  too  often 

it 


it  arifes  from  the  bafer  Motives  of  Lucre  and 
Avapte :  bclides,  it  is  really  cruel,  as  the 
ilrtHcc  uf  Death  is  always  moft  feverely  felt, 
fvhcn  unexpe^edj  and  the  grim  Tyrant  may 
in  general  be  difarmcd  of  his  Terrors,  and  ren- 
dered fainiliaf  to  the  moft  timid,  and  apprc-f 
henfive;  either  by  frequent  Meditation,  by 
the  Arguments  of  Philofophy,  or  by  the  Hopes 
and  Promises  of  Religion.  But  even  OTerlook" 
ing  the  important  Concerns  of  Futurity ;  the 
Bufincff  of  this  Life  may  render  fuch  a  Con^ 
diidt  highly  dangerous  and  criminal ;  as  thoie 
to  whom  the  thoughts  of  Death  are  painful, 
are  too  apt  when  flattered  with  the  Profpedl 
pf  Recovery,  to  neglect  the  neceffary  Provi- 
iion  againft  a  Difappointment,  and  by  that 
Means  involve  their  Families  in  Confufion  and 
Diftrefs. 

Above  all  Things^  avoid  any  ridiculous  Ex- 
prcftions  of  Humour,  at  the  bed-fide  of  a  fick 
Man;  you  cannot  cbufe  a  more  unfeafonabic 
Opportunity  for  your  Mirth ;  nor  will  you  find 
%  Perfon  of  a  generous  and  benevolent  Difpofi- 
tion,  who  can  fmile  even  at  the  Repetition  of  a 

Witticifm, 


(    12   ) 

Witticifm,  which  carries  with  it  the  Appcar-f 
ancc  of  fo  much  Inhumanity, 

Let  your  Prefcription she  fimple,  and  as  n«at 
and  agreeable  as  the  Nature  of  the  Remedy  will 
permit — Nothing  can;  be  more  abfurd  than  the 
Farrago  of  fome,  nothing  more  difguftful  than 
the  Sfovenlin efs  of  others  ;  for  it  is  impoffiblc 
to  learn  the  true  Virtues  of  Medicines,  from  com- 
pound Prefcriptions;  and  Inelegance  frequent- 
ly difappoints  us  of  their  EfFeds. — And  as  it 
is  probable,  from  the  Mode  of  Pradllce  in  this 
Country,  that  you  will  not  only  be  thePrefcri-^ 
bers,  but  likewifc  the  Difpenfers  of  your  Me- 
dicines, let  your  Integrity  be  proof  againft:  the 
Temptation  of  unneceflarily  multiplying  Pte- 
fcriptions,  and  truft  rather  to  the  Liberality  of 
your  Patient,  than  to  the  Quantity  of  your 
Phyiic,  for  your  Reward.  For  altho*  perhaps 
by  this  Method  you  may  fometimes  think  your 
Services  undervalued,  yet  you  will  always  en* 
joy  the  fuperior  Satisfadtion  of  confcious  Rec- 
titude, which,  by  an  honeft  Mar,,  wrill  ever  be 
preferred  to  a  trifling  Emolument.-— 


(  «3  ) 

In  the  Infancy  of  this  Country,  the  prefcnt 
Mode  of  pradifing  Medicine  was  neceffarily 
intfoduced,  from  the  Scarcity,  both  of  |nha^ 
bitftnts  and  Phyficians.  But  in  fo  populous  a 
City  as  this,  it  is  beyond  a  Doubt,  that  the 
Regulations  it  is  now  under,  are  both  injurious 
to  the  Inhabitants,  and  difhonorablc  to  the 
Profcffion :  yet  I  confefs  it  is  not  very  cafy  to 
point  out  a  Remedy  to  the  Inconveniences  at- 
tendant on  it.  There  is  but  one,  and  that  per* 
haps  at  prefent  would  not  be  thought  expe- 
dient ;  but  until  it  is,  thofe  who  arc  in  good 
Circumltances  muft  rely  wholly  upon  the  In- 
tegrity of  their  Phyficians ;  and  for  the  Poor 
who  are  the  greateft  fufferers,  we  muft  en- 
deavour p  find  out  fome  other  Source  of 
Relief. 

Whenever  you  {hall  be  fo  unhappy  as  to 
fkil,  in  your  Endeavours  to  relieve;  let  it  be 
your  conftant  Aim  to  convert,  particular  Mif- 
fortunes  into  general  Bleffings,  .by  carefully 
infpeaing  the  Bodies  of  the  Dead,  inquiring 
into  the  Caufes  of  their  Difeafes,  and  phence 


(  H  ) 

improving  your  own  Knowledge,  and  making 
further  and  ufeful  Difcoveries  in  the  healing 
Art. 

Nor  can  I  help  regretting  the  many  Ob- 
ftaclcF  you  will  meet  with  in  profecuting  this 
fo  neceflary  an  Enquiry;  from  the  Prejudices 
of  the  People  in  general,  and  afalfe  Tender- 
ness and  miflaken  Delicacy  in  Relations.  Time 
and  Perfevcrance  however  muft  overcome  po- 
pular Prejudices,  and  will  I  hope  before  long, 
remove  thefe  Difficulties,  and  open  this  Door 
to  Medical  Improvement. 

Let  thofe  who  are  at  once  the  unhappy  Vic- 
tims, both  of  Poverty  and  Difeafe,  claim  your 
particular  Attention ;  I  cannot  repr«fent  to  my- 
felf  a  more  real  Objcdl  of  Charity,,  than  a 
poor  Man  with  perhaps  a  helplefs  Family, 
labouring  under  the  romplicated  Miferies  of 
Sicknefs  and  Penury.  Paint  to  yourfelves  the 
agonizing  feelings  of  a  Parent,  whilft  labour- 
ing under  fbme  painful  DIfe'afe,  he  beholds  a 
helplcfs  Offspring  around  his  Bed,  in  want  of 
the  jieceflaries  of  Nature ;  imagine  the  De- 
o.air  of  an   affedioiiate   Wife,  and  a  tender 

Mother, 


(  '.!) 
Mother,  who  can  neither  relieve  the  Pain  and 
Anxiety  of  her  Hufhand,  nor  fupply  the  im- 
porttinate  cravings  of  her  Children  j  and  then 
deny  them  your  Afliflance  if  you  can— but  the 
Suppofition  is  injurious  to  Humanity,  and^oz* 
in  particular,  I  know  v/ant  no  fuch  Incite- 
ments to  Duty  and  Benevolence,  I  cinnot 
however  help  regretting,  the  very  frequent 
Opportunities  you  will  meet  with,  particularly 
in  this  Place,  of  exercifing  your  Humanity 
upon  fuch  Occalions ;  owing  to  the  w^nt  of 
a  proper  Afylum,  for  fuch  unhappy  and  real 
Objedts  of  Charity,  it  is  truly  a  reproach,  that 
a  City  like  this,  (hould  want  a  public  Hofpi- 
tal,  one  of  the  mofl  ufeful  and  neccflary  chari- 
table Inftitutions  that  can  poffibly  be  imagined. 

The  labouring  Poor  are  allowed  to  be  the 
fupport  of  the  Community;  their  Induftry 
enables  the  Rich  to  live  in  Eafe  and  Affluence^ 
and  it  is  from  the  Hands  of  the  Manufaduref 
we  derive,  not  only  the  Neceflaries,  but  the 
Superfluities  of  Life ;  whilft  the  poor  Pittance 
he  earns  will  barely  fupply  the  Neceffities  of 
Nature,  and  it  is  literally  by  the  fweat  of  his 
3row,  that  he  gains  his  daily  Subfiflancc ;  how 

heavy 


(.6  5 
nc^vy  a  Calamity  muft  Sicknefs  be  to  fuch  * 
Man,  which  putting  it  out  of  his  Powct  to 
work,  immediately  deprives  him  and  perhaps 
a  helplefs  Family  of  Bread ! 

Nor  would  the  good  Effeds  of  an  Hofpital 
be  wholly  confined  to  the  Poor,  ^hey  would 
extend  to  every  Rank,  and  greatly  contribute 
to  the  Safety  and  Welfare  of  the  whole  Com^ 
munity.  Every  Country  has  its  particular 
Difeafes;  the  Varieties  of  Climate,  Expofurcji 
Soil,  Situation,  Trades,  Arts,  Manufadures^ 
and  even  the  Charadler  of  a  People,  all  pave 
the  Way  to  new  Complaints,  and  vary  the  Ap- 
pearance of  thofe,  with  which  we  are  already 
acquainted  j  Hence  JEgypt  is  fubjed  to  the 
Plague;  Holland  to  Intermittents;  the  Weft- 
Indies  to  Putrid;  and  the  Northern  Countries 
to  inflatnmatofy  Difeafes ;  and  Spain  and 
England  to  Hypochondriocal  Complaints; 
which  reigning  Difea/es  of  a  Country,  not 
only  have  Peculiarities  of  their  own,  but 
often  vary  the  Charaders  of  fuch  as  are  com- 
mon to  that  Country  with  others,  and  thefe 
Peculiarities  with  their  Antidotes  can  properly 


(  >7  ) 
be  learned  only  in  public  HofpitaU,  whet-e  ha- 
ving si  nuniber  of  Sick  at  one  Titne^  not  only 
aflx3rds  an  Opportuhity  of  the  better  compaTing: 
and  remarking  their  Symptoms,  but  they  be* 
ing  under  a  certain  Difciplirte  and  Rcgulatiorti 
the  Faces  of  their  difeafeS  arc  not  changed, 
cither  by  the  inditlgence  of  friends  or  the  offi- 
cioufndS  of  Nurfes;  which  is  too  often  tlae 
cafe  in  private  praidlice.  Another  Argument, 
(and  that  by  no  means  the  leaft,)  for  an  Ihfti>» 
tution  of  this  Nature,  is,  that  tt  affords  the  beft 
and  only  means  of  properly  intruding  Pupils 
in  the  Practice  of  Medicine;  as  far  therefore, 
as  the  breeding  good  and  able  Phylicians, 
which  in  all  Countries  and  at  all  Times  had 
been  thought  an  obje(5t  of  the  higheft  Impor- 
^cc;  deferves  the  Confideration  of  the  Pub* 
lie,  this  inftitution  muft  likcwifc  claim  its  Pro- 
tcdtion  and  Encouragement. 

Nor  is  the  Scheme  of  i  Public  HofJ>ital  1  be- 
lieve fo  impradticablci  nor  the  Execution  of  it,  I 
hope  at  fo  great  adiftanec,a8  at  firft  fight  it  may 
tppearto  be.  There  are  Numbcrt  in  this  Place 
I  am  furc  (vya«  a  Subfcription  once  kt  on  foot^ 

upon 


,( in 

upon  an  exMnfive  and  generous  Plan)  whcfe 
Fortunes  enable  them,  and  whofe  Benevolence 
would  prompt  them,  liberally  to  contribute  to 
fb  ofeful  an  Inftitution ;  it  wants  but  a  Prime 
Mover,  whole  Authority  would  give  Weight 
to  the  Undertaking,  and  whole  Zeal  and  In- 
duftcy,  would  promote  it.  Such  a  one  I  hope 
efcrilong  Jo  fee  rife  up  amongft  us,  and  may 
the  Blefiing  df  ^c  Poor,  and  the  Applaufe  of 
the  Gbod  and  Humane,  be  the  Rev/ard  of  his 
Affidtiity  and  Labour. 


FINIS. 


DISCOURSE 


nftrvxtlXD  AT  THI 

li£0I€Al4  COBflfElfCEifEKT 

tjm  €tmaLa&:  or  physicians  anx>  sgsgeon^ 

or  THX 

0!WTER»»v  ov  THE  STATE  OF  trfiW-VeaX, 

eirTBB 

UXTB  OF  APSIL,  1M». 


BT  SAMUEL  BARD,  M.D.  LL.D. 

Prestdsat  of  «b«  CeUeg*, 


NEW'TOBK  t 

Yriated  bf  C  S.  T«  Wisld*,  ^riolcr  to  tb«  OahFenily, 
JVk.  iOl  CtrHomntk  iStrttt. 

1S19. 


DISCOURSE 


ON 


GsiNTLEMEN, 

A  sound  mind,  in  a  sound  body,  consti* 
tutes  the  principal  happiness  and  perfection  of 
man ;  the  means,  therefore,  by  which  such  great 
and  essential  benefits  are  to  be  secured,  have  ever 
been  the  object  of  his  solicitude,  and  most  anx- 
ious inquiry.  Bountiful  nature  has  placed  both, 
to  a  certain  degree,  within  our  reach ;  but  she 
has  not  offered  them  gratuitously  to  our  accept- 
wice ;  and  if  we  would  enjoy,  we  must  consent 
to  purchase  them,  at  the  price  which  she  has  in- 
variably set  upon  these,  and  all  other  blessings, 
she  pours  30  profusely  around  us.  That  price, 
(young  gentlemen,  1  address  myself  particularly 
to  you,)  that  -price  is  persevering  industry ^  and 


4 

well-directed  labour ;  without  which,  ncFthin^  great 
or  excellent  was  ever  attained ;  but  when  properly 
aided  by  these,  it  is  not  easy  to  set  limits  to  the 
powers  of  man,  or  to  say,  what  he  may  not 
atchieve.  Nor  is  this  universal  law  of  our  nature 
more  applicable  tc  the  health  of  the  body  than  it 
is  to  the  improvement  of  the  mind  ;  every  exer- 
cise of  which  "  upon  the  theorems  of  science, 
(says  the  admirable  author  of  Hermes,)  tends  to 
call  forth  and  strengthen  our  native  and  original 
vigour.  Be  the  subject  immediately  productive 
or  not,  the  nerves  of  reason  are  braced  by  mere 
employ,  and  we  become  better  actore  in  the  drama 
of  life,  whether  our  parts  be  of  the  sedate  oi  the 
active  kind." 

Man,  in  every  state  of  society^  is  obliged  to  ac- 
knowledp-e  this  truth.  It  is  only  in  the  ends  he 
has  in  view,  in  the  variety  of  things  wirich  he 
deems  good  and  useful,  that  the  untutored  savage 
differs  from  the  civilized  man — that  the  ignorant 
and  the  vicious  differ  from  the  wise  and  the  good. 
The  means  by  which  the  objects  of  their  pmrsuit 
are  acquired,  are  the  same  in  both.     "  It  is  as 


easy  to  oecome  a  scholar,  as  it  is  to  become  a 
gamester,  or  any  other  character  equally  I  w  and 
illiberal :  the  same  application,  the  same  quantity 
of  habits  will  fit  us  for  the  one,  as  completely  as 
for  thf  other."*  Indeed,  we  are,  in  a  peculiar  de* 
gree,  the  creatures  of  habi*.,  and  it  is  as  easy  to  es- 
tablish ^ood  and  useful,  as  it  is  to  establish  evil  and 
pernicious,  habits.  Hence  the  great  value  and  im- 
portance of  education  ;  that  such  talents  and  facul- 
ties as  God  and  nature  have  given  us,  may  not  only 
be  called  forth,  but  restricted  within  proper  limits, 
and  directed  to  their  proper  objects:  to  private 
happiness,  and  to  the  public  good.  Otherwise, 
like  seed  committed  to  a  fertile  soil,  but  not  enli- 
vened b}  a  genial  sun,  they  may  lie  buried  and 
inactive  forever ;  or  if  not  restrained  by  due  cul- 
ture, they  will  shoot  out  into  wild  and  luxuriant 
branches,  which  will  never  produce  good  and 
wholesome  truit.  For  man  is  an  active  and  a 
restless  being ;  nothing  becomes  so  insupportable 
to  him  as  continued  inaction ;  if  he  is  not  doing 
good,  he  wiU  probably  be  engaged  in  evil ;  he  will 

"Harris. 


do  mischief  rather  than  do  nothing.  Even  the 
savage,  to  whom  rest  is  the  most  dignified,  as 
well  as  the  most  grateful,  enjoyment,  continually 
has  recourse  to  the  laborious  toils  of  the  chase, 
or  to  the  fatiguing  dangers  of  war,  to  relieve  him- 
self from  the  irksome  feelings  of  protracted  quiet ; 
thus,  too,  in  civilized  life,  all  the  envied  qualities 
of  great  genius  and  brilliant  talents  are  ever  at 
work  on  good  or  evil.  When  unimproved  by  stu- 
dy, and  unrestrained  by  discipline,  they  too  fre^ 
quently,  like  a  wandering  and  a  blazing  meteor, 
burn  and  destroy  every  thing  they  approach ;  but 
when  restricted  in  their  course  by  proper  princi- 
ples, and  directed  by  wisdom  and  virtue,  they 
warm,  and  cherish,  and  illuminate,  like  the  bless- 
ed sun.  It  is,  therefore,  in  the  constitution  of  our 
frame,  and  in  the  nature  and  structure  of  our 
minds,  that  we  discover  the  reason  and  truth  of 
the  maxim,  that  the  happiness  of  private  life,  the 
peace  of  society,  and  the  stability  of  government, 
especially  of  all  free  governments,  depends  upon 
the  instruction,  information,  and  correct  habits,  of 
the  people.     To  give  these  their  proper  direction. 


and  to  establish  them  firmly,  we  must  begin  with 
early  youth ;  we  must  lay  the  foundation  of  all 
professional  excellence,  correct  morals,  and  pure 
religion,  as  well  as  of  good  government,  in  our 
common  schools.  From  whence,  otherwise,  shall 
offices  be  fiJled  with  ability  ;  where  shall  we  find 
just  magistrates,  and  able  teachers  of  religion  and 
virtue ;  where  the  protectors  of  our  rights  and  our 
property ;  where  the  preservers  of  our  health  and 
our  lives ;  where,  in  short,  good  citizens,  if  we 
neglect  to  instruct  our  youth,  and  leave  them  to 
grope  their  devious  way  without  a  guide  trough 
the  labyrinth  of  this  mazy  world  ? 

But  general  observations  on  the  necessity  and 
advantage  of  education,  cannot  be  very  necessary 
before  this  audience ;  let  us,  therefore,  turn  our  at- 
tention to  that  branch  of  learning,  to  which  this 
College  is  particularly  devoted,  and  after  consider- 
ing the  necessary  preparation,  endeavour  to  ex- 
plain the  nature  of  such  institutions  and  discipline 
as  experience  has  proved  to  be  useful  and  requi- 
site in  the  education  of  an  accomplished  physician 
and  surgeon. 


8 

It  has  of  late  been  made  a  question,  sanctioned 
by  some  great  names,  particularly  in  this  country, 
how  far  the  study  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  languages 
is  necessary,  or  even  useful,  in  either  ot  the  learn- 
ed professions,  excepting , that  of  Divinity.  But 
yielding,  for  the  present,  the  argument  for  their  ab- 
solute necessity,  I  believe  it  may  be  said  with  great 
truth,  that  there  is  no  study  or  discipline,  in  which 
a  boy,  who  is  intended  for  any  liberal  profession, 
not  excepting  merchandise,  which  is  the  most  ge- 
neral— or  who  may  take  a  part  in  the  government 
of  his  country,  to  which,  with  us,  all  may  aspire — 
can,  from  the  age  of  eight  years  to  that  of  sixteen 
or  eighteen,  be  employed,  so  generally  and  truly 
useful,  as  classical  learning.  The  study  of  gram- 
mar, and  the  application  of  its  rules,  as  practised 
in  a  good  school,  form,  perhaps,  the  very  best  ex- 
ercise that  can  be  invented,  to  rouse  the  ambition, 
to  quicken  the  apprehension,  to  ripen  the  judg- 
ment, and  to  establish  a  habit  of  close  and  dili- 
gent application,  the  first  and  the  greatest  lesson 
of  life.  And  the  youth  who  can  read  Homer  and 
Virgil,  Plato  and  Cicero,  without  imbibing  some 


9 

of  their  noble  and  generous  sentiments,  without 
having  his  judgment  strengthened,  his  taste  refi- 
ned, and  his  heart  mended,  must  be  strangely  defi- 
cient in  all  good  feeling,  or  in  any  improvable 
faculty  of  mind.  The  elements,  therefore,  of 
classical  learning  may  justly  be  considered,  and 
have  been  proved  by  lon^  experience,  to  be  the 
best  preparation  for  any  employment  above  those 
of  the  mechanic  arts ;  and  before  it  is  time  to  be- 
gin the  study  of  either  of  the  learned  professions, 
or  to  pntPF  a  counting  house,  a  young  man  may 
easily  acquire  these,  together  with  a  correct 
knowledge  of  his  own  language,  and  so  much 
mathematical  learning  as  is  necessary  and  useful 
in  the  ordinary  business  of  life.  As  to  the  modern 
languages,  their  great  utility  in  the  commerce  of 
the  world  cannot  be  denied :  but  in  forming  the 
character,  an  object  of  far  greater  consequence, 
they  certiiinly  fall  very  far  below  the  ancient  lan- 
guages ;  nor  can  any  person,  who  will  considei 
how  much  the  knowledge  of  one  language  facili- 
tates the  acquisition  of  another,  and  how  much 
more  the  knowledge  of  two  facilitates  that  «1 

2 


10 

a  third,  think,  even  in  this  respect,  the  time  lost, 
which  is  spent  in  acquiring  the  Latin,  the  root 
and  origin  of  the  Italian,  Spanish,  and  French, 
languages. 

But  farther ;  languages  are  the  repositories  of 
science ;  losing  a  language,  therefore,  is  like  the 
destruction  of  an  immense  library,  which  cannot 
be  replaced  If  the  originals  are  neglected  pur- 
posely, the  copies  may  be  accidentally  lost,  by 
the  ravages  of  a  barbarous  foe,  or  the  lapse  of 
time,  and  thus  by  neglecting  a  language,  one 
means  of  perpetuating  knowledge,  so  far  as  that 
language  is  concerned,  is  certainly  lost.  Besides, 
though  science  may  be  translated,  taste  and  talent 
cannot.  The  spirit  of  original  composition  is  too 
volatile  to  be  transfused ;  to  catch  it,  we  must  as- 
cend to  the  fountain  head. 

Although,  therefore,  we  acknowledge  that  every- 
thing really  necessary  in  the  theory  and  practice 
of  medicine,  may  be  learned  from  the  excellent 
authors  who  have  written  originally  in  English  ; 
and  that  all  the  best  works  of  other  languages  are 
to  be  had  correctly  translated  into  our  own,  still, 


11 

as  it  is  not  very  becoming  for  a  professional  man 
to  be  totally  ignorant  of  those  languages  in  which 
all  the  ancient  records  of  his  art  are  preserved, 
and  from  which  all  the  technical  terms  of  which 
he  is  in  the  daily  use  are  derived ;  it  is  hoped  that 
classical  learning  will  again  assume  its  place,  if 
not  as  absolutely  necessary,  at  least  as  very  use- 
ful, and  highly  ornameptal,  in  the  character  of  a 
physician. 

The  great  error  in  our  system  of  education  is, 
that  we  are  too  much  in  a  hurry,  and  that  our 
young  men  are  ushered  into  the  world,  and  com- 
mence the  practice  of  their  professions,  at  a  period 
so  early,  and  after  a  preparation  so  slight,  that 
very  few  have  acquired  the  prudence  or  the  know- 
ledge requisite  to  govern  their  conduct  in  either ; 
and  hence  arise  the  errors  and  failure  of  too 
many,  and  our  general,  and  I  am  afraid  I  may 
say,  too  just,  reputation  for  superficial  attainments. 
Could  we  keep  our  youth  at  school  until  sixteen, 
at  college  untiitwenty,  and  in  a  counting  house, 
or  at  the  study  of  the  professions,  until  twenty-four 
or  twenty-five  years  of  age,  they  would  be  more 


12 

generally  successful  in  life ;  we  should  have  fewer 
failures  in  trade,  and  more  respectability  and  emi- 
nence in  our  professional  men.  Am  I  asked  how 
it  happens  that  in  our  own  profession  the  general 
practice  is  so  widely  different  ?  I  can  only  answer, 
it  is  a  state  which  we  rather  submit  to  than  ap- 
prove ;  that  for  the  present  we  must  palliate  a  dis- 
ease we  cannot  immediately  cure ;  that  such  is 
the  condition  of  medicine  throughout  this  widely 
extended,  and  thinly  inhabited  country,  that  very 
few  of  its  practitioners  can  be  compensated  for  an 
expensive  education ;  and  that  the  interest  of  the 
people,  as  well  as  the  utility  of  the  profession,  are 
better  promoted  by  sending  abroad  a  considerable 
number  of  young  men,  decently,  but  competently 
initiated  in  the  principles  of  their  art,  than  only  a 
few  of  higher  qualifications.  But  this  state  of 
things  is  rapidly  changing — perhaps  has  hitherto 
been  unavoidable ;  and  a  just  apology  for  it  may 
be  found  in  the  infancy  of  our  country,  and  its  re- 
cent emancipation  from  a  state  of  thraldom  and 
dependence. 

I  rejoice,  therefore,  to  see,  and  congratulate  my 


13 

fellow-citizens  on,  the  change.  Many  able  advo- 
cates for  the  good, old  discipline  have  lately  risen 
up  among  us,  aad  a  great  and  manifest  improve- 
ment, in  this  respect,  has  already  been  made,  and 
is  rapidly  progressing,  in  our  schools  and  colleges. 
A  classical  education  is  a  fine  preparation  for 
acting  in  society  with  complacence,  propriety,  and 
dignity ;  for  sound  learning,  and  correct  taste,  are 
nearly  connected  with  pure  morals :  independent 
of  all  principle,  they  undoubtedly  give  a  delicacy 
and  sensibility  to  the  mind,  very  favourable  to 
virtue  ;  and  whilst  they  are,  in  themselves,  a  pro- 
minent source  of  happiness  to  the  individual,  and 
place  him  above  the  necessity  of  seeking  it  from 
sources  less  pure,  they,  at  the  same  time,  become 
the  means  of  diffusing  happiness  around  him.  "  A 
wise  and  able  magistrate,  a  learned  professor  of 
the  law,  a  humane  and  benevolent  physician,  no 
less  than  an  enlightened  teacher  of  religion,  contri- 
bute to  the  happiness  of  posterity,  as  well  as  that 
of  the  age  in  which  they  live :  by  their  know- 
ledge, they  mitigate  the  evils  of  their  cotempora- 
ries ;  by  their  example,  they  mend  the  characters 


14 

of  those  with  whom  they  associate ;  and,  by  their 
precepts,  they  sow  the  seeds  of  excellence  which 
may  bless  and  exa^t  their  country  to  future  gene- 
rations." 

Medicine  is  a  comprehensive  and  an  intri- 
cate science,  founded  on  numberless  facts  which 
have  been  discovered  through  the  successive  pe- 
riods of  distant  ages,  and  which  have  been  col- 
lected and  preserved  in  the  writings  of  almost 
innumerable  authors,  of  different  nations  and 
tongues.  It  has  necessarily  been  coloured  and 
disfigured  by  the  credulity  of  some ;  rejected,  lost, 
and  again  revived,  by  the  cautious  discrimination 
of  others;  elucidated  by  new  discoveries,  and 
confirmed  by  later  experience.  Among  ignorant 
and  barbarous  nations,  this  science  has  ever  been 
connected  with  religion,  involved  in  mystefy,  and 
disfigured  by  superstition.  As  men  advanced  from 
barbarism,  it  assumed  a  more  rational  form,  and, 
resting  on  the  solid  basis  of  experience,  under  the 
polished  Greeks,  directed  by  the  genius  of  Hippo- 
crates, acquired  beauty,  symmetry,  and  strength  : 
until,  as  the  refinements  of  a  speculative  philoso- 


15 

phy  began  to  prevail,  theoretic  opinions  were  sub- 
stituted for  fact  and  experiment ;  the  subtlety  of 
the  schools,  and  the  wanderings  of  the  imagina- 
tion, for  sound  reasoning  and  chaste  deduction. 
By  these  errors,  the  progress  of  medical  science, 
though  not  absolutely  arrested,  was  greatly  check- 
ed ;  until,  through  the  important  discovery  of  the 
circulation  of  the  blood,  by  Harvey,  and  the  in- 
troduction of  a  strict  philosophy,  by  Bacon,  in 
which  opinion  was  made  to  give  place  to  obser- 
vation, and  a  patient  investigation  of  facts  was 
substituted  for  the  quibbles  of  sophistry,  the 
science  pf  medicine  became  again  placed  on  its 
proper  basis— nature,  observation,  and  experience. 
From  this  moment,  anatomy,  chemistry,  natural 
history,  and  natural  philosophy,  which,  although 
they  had  long  been  in  the  train  of  medicine, 
had  rather  followed,  than  directed  her  researrhes, 
were  impressed  into  her  service,  and  made  to 
take  the  lead  in  a  medical  education ;  nor  until  he 
has  made  considerable  progress  in  these,  can  the 
student  of  medicine  be  properly  qualified  even  to 
begin  what  is  the  great  object  of  his  pursuit,  the 
study  of  diseases,  and  their  cure. 


16 

In  a  profession  so  various,  so  intricate,  and  so 
expensive,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  the  scholar  can 
make  but  little  progress  by  private  study.  Lost 
and  bewildered  in  the  multiplicity  of  objects,  and 
in  the  contrariety  of  conflicting  opinions,  he  abso- 
lutely requires  the  hand  -of  a  master  to  lead  him 
into  the  plainest  and  most  direct  path ;  to  remove^ 
as  he  goes  along,  the  obstacles  which  may  obstruct 
his  progress;  and  to  point  out  such  as  are  most 
worthy  his  observation.  Nor  are  there  many  in- 
dividuals who  are  qualified  to  teach  all  the  preli- 
minary branches;  each  of  them  is  sufficiently  ex- 
tensive to  empjoy  the  time,  and  occupy  the  atten- 
tion, of  a  man  ot  no  common  attainments. 

Besides,  chemistry  requires  a  laboratory ;  bo- 
tany a  garden ;  and  anatomy  a  theatre  and  sub- 
jects ;  and,  above  all,  the  nature  of  diseases,  and 
the  practice  of  medicine,  cannot  be  taught  bqt  in 
a  public  hospital.  Much,  therefore,  as  oral  in- 
struction, and  tne  voice  of  a  professor,  are  to  be 
preferred  to  the  silent  investigations  of  the  closet, 
still  more  is  required  :  the  co-operation  of  several 
teachers,  and  the  facilities  of  a  public  institution 


17 

and  thus-,  too,  in  a  large  city,  where  only,  in 
this  country  at  least,  anatomy  and  the  practice 
of  medicine  can  be  properly  taught.  In  both 
these  branches,  the  student  must  not  only  receive 
the  instructions  of  his  teacher — he  must  not  only 
reflect  on  and  digest  what  he  hears  and  reads,  but 
he  must  see,  and  handle,  and  examine,  for  himself. 
In  auciiomy,  the  subject,  properly  prepared,  must 
be  placed  before  him;  without  this,  the  most 
accurate  description,  even  when  aided  by  the 
finest  plates  and  drawings,  will  be  found  wholly 
inadequate  to  convey  correct  ideas,  or  to  make 
durable  impressions  on  his  mind.  The  parts  must 
be  unfolded  by  the  knife ;  they  must  be  distended 
by  injections;  and  whatever  is  uninteresting,  and 
obscures  their  intimate  structure,  must  be  remo- 
ved ;  or  the  student  will  look  with  a  vacant  eye, 
upon  what,  to  him  at  least,  will  appear  an  un- 
formed mass :  and  if  possible,  after  having  been 
taught  what  he  is  to  look  for,  and  what  is  most 
worthy  his  observation,  he  should  handle  the 
knife  and  the  syringe  for  himself — he  should  learn 

3 


how  to  prepare  the  subject  for  the  instruction  of 
others. 

In  chemistry,  the  science  of  nature^  hy  which 
we  are  admitted  into  her  confidence,  are  taught 
her  secrets,  and  learn  her  processes,  but  slow  pro- 
gress can  be  made  without  a  teacher,  aided^  too, 
by  a  large  and  expensive  apparatus ;  for  although 
by  the  introduction  of  a  more  correct  language, 
and  a  more  liberal  philosophy,  all  the  jargon  and 
mystery  in  which  the  old  chemists  clothed  their 
communications,  and  concealed  their  art,  have 
been  done  away ;  still,  the  multiplicity  of  facts, 
the  delicacy  of  processes,  and  the  variety  of  ap- 
paratus, are  such,  that  practice  only  can  give  that 
dexterity  which  is  necessary  to  ensure  success; 
and  to  acquire  this  dexterity  unassisted,  would 
require  more  time,  and  be  accompanied  by  greater 
expense,  than  most  students  of  medicme  could 
well  afford. 

In  botany  and  natural  histor}^,  the  number  oi 
objects  to  be  exammed,  and  with  which  it  is  ne- 
cessary to  become  acquainted,  is  so  great,  that 
without  a  garden  and  a  museum,  without  ar- 


19 

rangement  and  system,  no  correct  or   valuable 
knowledge  can  be  acquired. 

And,  laatly,  in  the  study  of  diseases,  and  in  the 
practice  of  medicine,  no  histories,  however  accu- 
rat** — no  reasoning,  however  just — can  convey  the 
knowledge  necessary  for  their  treatment  and  cure. 
The  student  must  see,  and  hear,  and  feel  for  him- 
self.    The  hue  of  the  complexion    the  feel  of 
the  skin,  the   lustre  or  languor  of  the  eye,  the 
throODinff  ot  the  pulse   and  the  palpitations  of 
the  heart,  the  quickness  and  ease  of  '•esniration, 
and  the  tone  ana  tremor  of  the  voice,  the  confi- 
dence of  hope,  and  the  despondence  of  fear,  as 
they  are  expressed  in  the  countenance,  baffle  all 
description :  and  yet  all  and  each  of  these  con- 
vey important  and  necessary  information.     Where 
can  these  be  learned  but  at  the  bedsides   if  the 
sick?  and  where  shall  a  young  man,  who  cannot 
be  admitted  into  the  privacies  of  families,  or  the 
chambers  of  women,  acquire  this  necessarv  in- 
formation, but  in  a  public  hospital,  which  is  not 
only  intended  as  an  asylum  to  relieve  the  compli 
cated  misery  of  poverty  and  sickness,  but  as  a 


20 

school  of  medicine,  to  contribute  to  the  public 
welfare ;  and,  as  such,  deserves  and  receives  the 
patronage  of  government,  even  more  than  as  a 
mere  charitable  institution. 

But  beside  these  considerations,  and  the  im- 
possibility of  teaching  medicine  in  private,  there 
are  many  advantages  which  attend  public  institu- 
tions in  this,  as  well  as  most  other  sciences :  one 
is,  that  from  the  division  of  the  subject,  a  more 
enlarged,  comprehensive,  and  systematic  view  of 
the  whole  will  be  taken ;  its  connection  with,  and 
dependence  on,  other  branches  of  learning,  will 
be  more  clearly  pointed  out;  and  general  laws 
and  fundamental  principles  will  be  better  taught. 

The  student  learns  what  are  the  proper  ob- 
jects of  his  inquiry  at  eat.h  stage,  and,  as  he  goes 
along,  is  taught  how  to  make  a  proper  use  of  his 
previous  acquirements  and  experience. 

Besides,  young  men  engaged  in  the  same 
studies,  mutually  assist  each  other;  emulation, 
which  warms  and  engages  the  passions  on  the 
side  of  whatever  is  excellent,  cannot  be  excited 
without  rivals ;  without  emulation  in  the  scholar, 


21 

irtstrtiction  will  proceed  bui  with  a  languid  pace, 
and  excellence  is  never  attained.  Nor  is  emu- 
lation confined  to  the  scholar.  The  emoluments 
of  the  teacher  depend  on  his  fame,  and  both  on 
feis  talents  and  industry.  Stimulated,  therefore, 
by  his  inter-est,  and  spurred  on  by  his  ambition, 
he  will  make  every  exertion  to  recommend  his 
lectures  which  he  knows  are  to  be  brought  to 
the  ordeal  of  a  nice  and  critical  examination. 
Among  his  hearers,  there  will  always  be  a  num- 
ber of  the  elder  students,  very  able  to  judge  of 
his  merits,  and  very  wilhng  to  discover  his  errors. 
Such  a  system  of  education  cannot  long  be  con- 
ducted in  a  slovenly  or  incompetent  manner ;  neg- 
ligence  will  sit  very  uneasily  m=ki  and  incompe- 
tence cannot  long  keep  her  seat  in  a  professor's 
chair. 

Nor  is  it  by  exciting  their  emulation  only,  that 
young  men,  assembled  in  a  public  school,  are  of 
use  to  each  other;  they  mutuallv  instruct  one 
another,  by  their  daily  conversation,  and  in  so- 
cieftes  formed  for  the  purpose  of  discussing  pro- 
fessional opinions,  on  which  they  often  exercise  a 


22 

degree  of  attention  and  acuteness  which  serves 
as  no  inadequate  test  of  their  truth  and  useful- 
ness ;  and  this  farther  serves  to  explain  them  to 
their  understandings,  and  fix  them  in  their  me- 
mories, with  more  clearness  and  precision  than 
hearing  them  many  times  repeated  from  their 
professors. 

Indolence  is  the  greatest  enemy  to  learning; 
but  indolence  is  a  vice  bred  and  nourished  in  so- 
litude, and  can  hardly  exist  at  a  public  school, 
but  in  minds  of  so  heavy  a  mould  as  to  be  inca- 
palle  of  culture.  But  dissipation  is  the  error 
into  which  a  young  man  of  lively  disposition  and 
quick  parts,  especially  on  first  coming  from  the 
retirement  of  the  country  into  a  large  and  luxu- 
riant city,  is  most  apt  to  fall ;  and  unless  he  pos- 
sess some  strength  of  mind,  the  variety  of  new 
scenes,  the  novelty  of  surrounding  objects,  and 
the  allurements  of  pleasure,  too  frequently  seize 
upon  his  imagination,  occupy  his  thoughts, 
waste  his  time  and  his  resources,  blast  his  own 
prospects,  and  disappoint  the  hopes  and  expecta- 
tions of  his  friends.     Against  this  I  have  nothing 


23 

to  urge  but  the  coinihon,  though  strong  and  ir- 
tesistible,  argument  of  duty  and  necessity;  nor 
any  remedy  to  propose,  but  liiat  of  wholesome 
employment  It  is  at  the  conimencement  of  you? 
career  that  you  will  be  in  tbe  greatest  danger ;  if 
you  postpone  your  indulgence  for  a  short  titne, 
even  for  a  few  weeks,  until  you  are  fairly  enga- 
ged in  your  studies,  full  occupation  will  at  least 
lessen  the  temptation;  and  when  onee  you  see 
how  absolutely  incompatible  dissipation  and  plea- 
sure are  with  duty  and  improvement,  you  will 
pobably  find  yourselves  able  to  resist  their  attrac- 
tions, or,  I  should  rather  hope,  they  will  have  no 
attractions  for  you. 

On  the  other  hand,  to  ocmtinue  in  retirement, 
and  there  to  labour  without  plan  or  design,  may 
isdeed  accumulate  a  confused  mass  of  materials ; 
but  beauty,  order,  ano  proportion,  are  the  result 
of  skill:  he  that  would  build  a  palace,  must 
employ  an  architect.  So  the  student  of  medicine, 
who  trusts  to  his  own  unassisted  researches,  or 
who  is  directed  by  an  inadequate  guide,  may  load 
hij)  memory  and  conioujid  his  judgment,  by  a 


24 

great  number  of  facts,  and  a  medley  of  opinions, 
which  will  only  lead  him  into  error,  and  end  at 
last  in  darkness  and  confusion.  But  he  who  is 
properly  initiated  into  the  rudiments  of  his  art, 
pursues  his  improvement  in  the  light  of  day; 
every  step  he  takes,  brings  him  nearer  to  his 
purposed  end ;  every  fact  and  opinion  he  learns, 
takes  its  proper  place;  and  knowledge-— clear, 
precise,  and  accurate  knowledge,  is  the  happy 
result. 

In  no  profession  are  sound  learning,  clear  and 
definite  opinions,  and  correct  conduct,  of  more 
consequence,  than  in  that  of  medicine;  in  the 
exercise  of  which,  our  dearest  interests,  our 
health  and  lives,  and  the  health  and  lives  of 
our  parents,  wives,  children,  and  friends,  are 
deeply  and  essentially  concerned.  For  let  it  be 
remembered,  that  there  is  no  middle  course  in 
medicine :  it  is  a  mistake,  to  suppose  me  con- 
duct of  a  physician  is  ever  of  that  neutral  and 
inconsequential  nature,  that  although  it  do  no 
good,  it  will  do  but  little  harm.  If,  through  ig- 
norance, a  physician  does  not  do  good,  he  will 


probably  do  much  inj^vy ;  for  our  opportunities 
of  acting  are  so  fleeting,  that  they  must  be  seized 
at  the  moment ;  and  to  lose  time  is,  ^equeutly, 
to  do  all  we  can  to  render  the  case  under  our 
care  desperate  or  fatal.  Nor,  on  the  contrary, 
is  there  any  profession,  in  which  that  cautious 
diffidence,  which  is  the  result  of  deep  know- 
ledge, is  of  greater  consequence,  than  in  that  of 
the  physician.  In  our  profession,  to  |Lnow  when 
to  act  with  vigour,  when  to  palliate  symptoms, 
or  to  look  oa  with  patience,  and  froni  what  cir- 
cumstances to  draw  our  indications,  is  the  result 
onlv  of  a  thorough  knowledge  of  our  subject ; 
nor  in  anv  nrofftssion  is  that  meddling  presump- 
tion, which  is  ever  the  companion,  and  most  fre- 
quently the  veil,  of  ignorance,  more  dangerous. 

Nor  ^re  the  happy  consequences  of  a  good 
education,  in  medicine,  confined  to  the  chambers 
of  the  sick ;  a  physician  must  always,  in  some 
measure,  become  the  companion,  and  frequently 
the  intimate  friend,  of  his  patient ;  he  must  often 
share  Ms  confidence,  and,  on  some  occasions, 
become  the  depositary  of  his  secrets.     His  prin- 


f6 

ciples,  therefottf  his  knowledge,  and  bis  exam- 
ple, bfecome  extensively  useful  or  prejuclicisA. 
Is  he  learned,  and  wise,  and  gpod  ? — his  learning 
will  ittstnict,  his  skill  and  his  humanit]^  wBl 
bless,  and  his  advice  and  example  may  amend 
many  among  those  with  whom  he  daily  con- 
verses. Is  he  ignorant,  and  loose,  and  debauched  ? 
—what  mischief  may  he  not  do  to  the  younger 
members  of  those  families  who  place  their  con- 
fidence in  him^  and  who  generdly  look  up  to 
him  as  a  character  of  superior  talent,  learning, 
and  worth.  Again ;  the  medical  character  ib  not 
only  very  influential— it  is  also  the  most  nume^ 
rous,  among  the  learned  professions :  the  exam- 
ple, therefore,  of  a  physician's  knowledge  and 
virtues,  or  the  contstminatton  of  his  ignorance 
8i»d  his  vicee,  will  assume  a  wider  and  mote  ex- 
tended range. 

Is  it  pe«sible^,  then,  thac  greafCer  ioducements 
can  b«  <»^rtd  to  a  young  mati,  tid  {Simulate  Jiis 
most  strenuous  exertions,  and  A)  call  forth  all  the 
force  of  his  understandia'g,  atld  every  genewms 
feeling  of  his  heart,  than  are  to  be  fauild  in  the 


S7 

namret  the  extent*  and  the  influence  of  oui  pro- 
£Bssi«H3.  Occupied  on  the  most  important  sub- 
jects, Ae  ease,  the  comfort,  the  happiness,  and 
the  lives,  of  our  fellow  creatures,  it  imperiously 
calls  for  knowledge  and  abil*tP>'.  Extensive,  be- 
yond the  liulits  of  any  other  science,  io  the  va- 
riety of  its  objects,  the  coatinually  changing 
nature  of  its  subjects,  aod  the  endtesa  pregre^ve 
march  of  its  i0ipFOf)eQiems»  it  is  itoposaible  either 
to  acquire  what  if  now  kiiAwo,  or  to  keep  pa<;» 
with  its  daily  acoessioas  of  knowJNge,  but  by  a 
aeal  and  iadustcy  as  stwdy  and  per/Severiug  as 
time  itself!  Extended  onre*  the  face  of  the  whole 
earth,  and  at  thci  same  tim<e  penetrating  into  the 
f  ecesses  of  every  private  family,  unless  our  know- 
ledge be  accompanied  by  prudence,  virtue,  and 
religion,  we  inay  do  more  harm  by  our  example^ 
than  we  can  do  good  by  our  skill. 

Let  me  then  hopei  that  every  youug  man  who 
DOW  hears  me,  will  lay  these  important  truths 
seriously  to  heart :  that  he  wUl  study  his  profes- 
sion, not  oalv  from  motives  of  ambition  and  in- 
terest, hut  with  a  view  to  the  better  fulfilment  of 


28 

his  mora!  and  religious  di^ei^.  That  be  will 
conscientiously  consider  the  reponsilnlity  of  his 
nadon,  and  the  infiuenco  of  hia  example,  and 
that,  whilst  he  faithfully  and  respectably  fulfils 
h»  duty  to  his  patients,  Hy  his  talents,  learning, 
and  iadustry,  he  will  support  the  dignity  of  his 
own  character,  by  the  correctness  of  his  conduct, 
and  recommend  his  example,  by  Ike  purity  of  his 
manners : — And  may  peace,  reputation,  and  for- 
tune, be  his  well-earned  reward. 


uo  ouuintniy  hluiui^ml  lidhmr  i  tmoili  i  t 


AA      000  221  010    2 


iil).)i!i!i;iii;i 


